Saturday, December 10

Friday, November 18

Happy Friday. I was thinking about construction paper turkeys today. I remember the smell of glue and paper.

So I'm hosting Thanksgiving for my grandparents this year and decided to make two smaller turkeys instead of one big one. More dark meat, easier to cook, plenty of leftovers to share. And if a practice run goes well, I"m going to cook the potatoes in the pressure cooker. I heard they will cook in six minutes. We'll see.

I lost my computer this week; the hard drive was on its last legs. So I lost a day's worth of time trying to figure out how to clone the drive, including four hours in a live chat with a nice man from India. I never was able to make it work, so instead, I backed up the files and reinstalled all the software.

I read a novel I ended up loving, called Stiltsville, by Susanna Daniel. It's the story of a marriage, set in Miami in the 70s and beyond. The author includes lots of small details that build a rich world to get lost in. I think some you would like it a lot. It would be a good book club pick.

Friday, November 11

So I'm here at home, alone for a few more hours. It's overcast, but unseasonably warm. Last week they came and cleaned up leaves, but the trees weren't quite finished and now there are just as many leaves today as there were last Friday. A long time ago I made a playlist with songs I thought suited November. Every song on the list wallowed in heartbreak; lost loves, dead friends, the lament of the weather. November, for no particular reason, is a sadder month. Maybe it's because the holidays loom just far enough into the future and the days darken earlier. But whatever sadness is held in November isn't personal; I don't have any gut-wrenching remorse tied up in the eleventh month. Maybe it's irrational; maybe it's just part of the normal psychological cycle. All this to say that on this November afternoon, I think about any other similar afternoon ten or more years ago when I would have poked into the Bookshelf to see who was there. I would have had just enough time to see the banter, maybe trade some IMs. I'm missing you all, today. That's all.

Friday, October 21

Had a note from Jaded this morning, asking me to pass along the news that our old Bookshelf friend Bobby passed away on Saturday. I know he had been fighting cancer for quite a long time, and I hope his passing was a peaceful one.

In other news, I got together with Condorblue and Aforallie, as well as Allie's niece from New Zealand, on Sunday. They were all looking good and doing well.

Hope all of you YOU are doing well, too. (Of course, I KNOW you fabulous Broards are looking, well, fabulous. Because that's what Broards do.)

Sunday, August 7

Saturday, July 30

Would you get tested for it if you had a family history? After my lump scare, my doc suggested that I consider getting tested for it. I've been contemplating it but . . . I dunno. All the men in my life -- NG, my boss, my brothers, etc. -- are quick to say I'm crazy if I don't.

But . . . the women I've talked with are about 50/50. One friend (who also has a family history full of breast cancer) said she decide not to because she realized that if she came up positive, she was not willing to do any of the suggested mitigating treatments (basically taking Tamoxifen (sp?) or elective mastectomy) so . . . decided she'd rather not know. I fully get that and think it makes a lot of sense but . . . I dunno.

Saturday, July 23

Wednesday, July 20

I taped this talk show because Roseanne was going to be on it. Those women--Leah Remini, Julie Chen . . Sara Gilbert are so boring. They try too hard to be warm and chatty.

Other than the fact that Julie Chen is married to the head honcho of CBS, how did she ever get to host a show . . not one, but two mind you . She does Big Brother too. Holly Robinson Peete is boring too. The only one with any semblance of pizzazz is Sharon Osbourne.

Sunday, July 17

I can't, for the life of me, leave a comment on your blog. Every time I've tried over the last couple of months it asks me to log in, I log in, it brings me back to your blog, asks me to type in the word verification and then takes be back to asking me to log in.

So, here's my latest comment:

The party sounds like fun! I agree, get smashed on your birthday -- just eat something and drink a bottle of water before you go to bed to prevent (or at least mitigate) a hang over.

The last several years before my mother died, whenever my sister and I would show up at her house together she would say, "Oh look, it's the bitches!" and laugh her head off.

Thursday, June 16

Wednesday, June 15

What are your thoughts on smashwords.com? A lot of the free ebooks we're downloading for the nook are from smashwords. Some are crap, some aren't. What do you think ----should a writer put work up there just to test the waters?

Thursday, June 2

for posting this here, but for some reason, I am having trouble getting getting my comments to post. Jilly, send the titles for those books about pioneers- I am mad about stories like that. If you haven't read willa cather- you are in for a treat (although my antonia is probably more widely read, o, pioneers I liked better). And Tree recommended a book by her friend, Lauri B ( OK, I am having a senior moment,, I can't remember the title or her last name) that I think I sent on to,,, someone here in the shelf. If they still have it, maybe they can send it on to you. Lovely book- modern ranching with lots of personal stuff also. Delicious.

Sunday, May 29

Wednesday, May 25

Of the Joplin tornado. This is a small group of people huddling in a convenience store cooler as the storm hits. There's also a follow-up video, shot the next day, of what they saw when they came out. This will give you nightmares.

Friday, May 20

Thursday, May 19

Last night my 3yo taught herself to play "twinkle twinkle" on her piano all by herself. she was alone in her room and I was sitting in the living room when I heard the song played and immediately then heard her play it again in an octave higher. is this normal toddler behavior? we've planned piano lessons to stat mid-june, that's why there's a piano in her room right now.

Tuesday, May 10

Thursday, May 5

i cannot wait until i am off these hormones. i am not fit company for ANYONE. i don't know how women do this for years on end trying to get pregnant. I've been doing it for 2 weeks and I'm nearly ready to give in. i feel like kathy bates in "fried green tomatoes" but i'm 29 for pete's sake! I was fine most of the day today, until I saw a random dip-shit comment left by some moron someone left at my blog. perhaps i should just take a break from everyone except the people who live with me until i can learn to be nicer while on hormones or me and the guy give in and i quit the pills?

Saturday, April 23

Hmmm . . . seems that since I restricted access to my blog the links on the left don't update to show when I post new entries. And . . . I couldn't figure out how to change that. And I claim to be technologically talented . . . ha!

Ina Garter turned down a Make-a-Wish kid!!! Can you believe that---what a pr disaster for the Barefoot Contessa! Tree, I think it was you that was anti-Ina and didn't like her--your instincts were right. One can only hope that Jeffrey will still let her make him roast chicken!

Saturday, April 2

If you're not watching this season's Survivor, you're missing one of the all time great reality characters: Phillip, the former federal agent (?.) He hunts crabs with a spear in his pink "tighty whiteys," talks about "honor, service and country" and likens himself to the tiger and the gorilla via tattoos he sports, and complains about being treated around the camp like a "red-headed stepchild."

Sunday, March 27

Friday, March 25

My radishes sprouted overnight....woohoo! I'll take pics and post them to my blog later on. I'm such a nut, getting excited over small green leaves. But they are MY small green leaves. I overplanted something fierce, so I need to go get that additional garden bed and soil today so that I can transplant some of these things as I find out how poorly I planted them.

Monday, March 21

A new show called Extreme Couponing premiers Wednesday, April 6 on TLC. Now that I am out of work, this appeals to me, as I have some time on my hands. As we all know, time is money, so maybe I'll pick up a few pointers and save a ton of money on products.

I remember we had a venomous shelfer who was big into couponing, so that is the one downside in this whole affair.

Wednesday, March 9

Now Hoosier Republicans wants doctors to tell women who are seeking abortions that they may get breast cancer. Repubs want them to be shown ultrasounds and some other nonsense.

I have an idea: Liquor stores should have to tell men who want to buy booze that they may die of liver disease. Show them fatal car crashes. Show them pictures of the ugly women they might pick up in a bar if they get drunk. Then sell them the booze.

Before men can buy a gun, make them watch Bambi. Make them watch war footage of men's limbs getting shot off. Make them play Russian Roulette with four bullets. Then sell them the gun.

Before a couple has sex, make them see pictures of genital warts and diseased dicks. Make them babysit with a collicky baby. Make them produce bank statements that show if they get pregnant they can afford to take care of that child so Tammy Taxpaper won't have to. Then they can have sex.

Before a fast food joint fills a drive thru order, make them give the customer a wagon filled with liposuctioned fat to let them know what they're in for. Then they can eat that double Whopper with fries and a shake.

Monday, March 7

Hi all. I realized after the postings about AA that, since I'm putting real, personal stuff up, I should protect my blog (especially with the criminal charges against AA pending). So, if you want access, I need your email address to send you an invite. Thanks!

Wednesday, March 2

Tuesday, March 1

I have been to 8 stores in 3 days looking for a swimsuit. I am a few pounds form the big -100 and I want to look good when we go on our trips. Something in me is shouting that I've EARNED it. We're going to Indiana in April and Atlanta in June, and both trips come with access to pools and spas. It's funny, b/c for YEARS I was told "you could wear X if you only lost some weight." Well, I've lost the equivalent of Kate Moss and guess what? That's a damn lie!

I know I have very specific (picky) requirements in what I want in my suit: No flowers, no black, no skirt, no halter (it aggravates my neck injury), must be a one piece (mock tankini is okay but not a real one), must have some sort of strap(s), must cost less than $40, must be able to try on before purchase. Everything I've seen has been too "Lets play bingo then hit up Sizzlers before 4pm" or "Hello, I'm a hooker and I have a kid!" I think spending $100-$180 on a swimsuit is dumb, even if you keep it and use it for a few years (in theory). I had 4-5 suits fall apart on me b/c they were used 2 times a week when I did water aerobics religiously. After talking around to swimmers, I found out that if you actually get into the water, a suit isn't going to last more than a season, and you're lucky if it lasts a whole season. I'm not an Olympic swimmer, so I'm not spending the equivalent of a car payment on one item of clothing that's going to fall apart in a few months. I'd rather buy a suit for $40 or less and take the $60 and upgrade my running shoes since I run for at least 60mins a day EVERY day.

It all boiled over on me the other day when I was seeking advice at my online weight loss group. Like bras, some people are more supportive than others. One woman, who is just starting out and needs to lose about as much as I have overall, told me (in a not overly mean but still catty way) that I was whining and at my current size, I should be able to wear anything and I should be happy that I now fit into a bikini, so I should just pick a bikini already. Wow what a "shut up" that was! Look, I'm not going to lie here. I have a lot of excess skin. W/o the skin I'd probably fit into a size 0-2. Right now I'm a 2-4. NO ONE with that much excess skin should be seen in public in a bikini. EVER. Just because you CAN put it on does not mean you SHOULD. This doesn't just apply to weight loss either. CAN vs. SHOULD is an important dressing lesson everyone should take a moment to apply every day. A trip to Walmart proves it. So, I was polite back but I burst her bubble about the cute little yellow polka dot bikini she's dreaming about. Well, unless she has the $25,000-$40,000 to get all the extra skin cut off....

oh and here's another thing that's bothered me recently. When I was a kid, my mom would buy us 2 piece suits and we'd all look cute and the suit came as a SET. Now, you have to spend at least $20 for each piece of the damn suit. What the hell? They say it's "mix and match" But how is this idea possible at the Old Navy store? When you walk in, all of the bottoms specifically match only one of the tops displayed. "Mix and Match" implies that almost all of the tops could be MATCHED to all of the bottoms making a customized suit to fit the needs of many. That idea almost sounds worth spending $20 for each piece. Instead, some schmuck is spending $20 for each piece when 5 years ago, the top would be on the same hanger as the panty with one price tag for $20. Next there'll be a cover charge just to walk into the store and people will pay it b/c they're morons. Now I'm really looking forward to the kid being 13 in 10 years....

Wednesday, February 2

I probably have seen the video of the mom pouring hot sauce in her 7 year-old's mouth a dozen times and it still freaks me out. Who does that? What's it supposed to accomplish--to raise a kid to fear spicy foods? (that was a joke)

A woman on the Joy Behar show said that she didn't think it was a big deal and that the mother was "creative." Good gravy, Marie! (a saying from my Mom.)

Needless to say Joy was dumbstruck--she's against corporal punishment.

I have to admit there was a time or two I smacked Liam--and I felt like absolute shit afterwards and apologized profusely. It didn't make it right though.

I once read that the Conservative Christian Facts of Life star Lisa Whelchel uses/used the hot sauce thing too. Is it a right wing nutjob thing?

Saturday, January 29

I never understand why certain things make me laugh as hard as they do. There's a scene at the beginning of episode 4 of "The Big C" where she's sitting in the office of her bank manager telling him that she wants to withdraw all her money from and close her 401K.

He has a cup of coffee and an uneaten danish on his desk. He leaves to go get the paperwork to close her account and . . . she grabs the danish and takes a big bite. Just then he comes back in so she's sitting there with frosting on her face and a mouthful of danish, not chewing, he tells her to sign the forms, sees his bitten danish and says, "There's something wrong with you." She says (through a mouthful of danish), "Yes, I know, that's why I'd doing this."

Friday, January 28

One of my Facebook acquaintances is going on and on about how wonderful Charlie Sheen is and how he wishes that he'd get well and back to work. I don't give a flying f about Charlie Sheen. He is a misogynistic woman beater and an addict who needs to get his ass to a shrink immediately.

I think some times it was better in the past when we didn't know what assholes some celebrities were--then we could still enjoy their movies . . tv shows . . whatever.

Charlie Sheen disgusts me.

Mel Gibson makes me want to vomit.

And I can't enjoy Woody Allen's movies since he fucked his own daughter.

So . . . I hate the term "cougar" and will never, ever be one but . . . what do you when a guy that is considerably younger than you are but who is around the age you actually look, (so -- assume he thinks you're the same age) asks you out?

Thursday, January 27

Michele Bachmann. Ah, well. I saw bits and pieces of her rebuttal and it looked like a 7th grade political science project with all the props. Why didn't she look into the right camera? If that's the best the tea party has to offer . . . . blech

For the sixth or seventh time in the past two weeks or so, our cat Miss Nesta Kiki Marie has knocked off the egg timer I keep near the computer. The top comes off and just lays on the floor until I get up and put it together. She does this in the early morning---5 or 6 am-- as a shout out for me to wake up. Then she meeps crazily and claws the bedroom door until I get up. Any cat psychologists out there?

I guess that's a small price to pay for being owned by the BEST KITTY IN THE WHOLE WIDE WORLD!!

Wednesday, January 19

Chick LitI've read my share. I have my favorite authors.Lately, I've had to stop reading at least two of my favorite authors because the only adjective these particular authors seem to know is....AMAZING!Do these women not have editors who might edit out the amazingly overuse of the word "amazing"??In one, somebody takes kids to a mall. "how was it?" someone else inquires afterward."The kids were amazing""Peter's an amazing dad""That cupcake was amazing""I know an amazing steakhouse".You all get my drift.I am reading a biography of Warren Beatty, at the moment. No "amazings" in sight. What a relief.

Monday, January 17

In his new book Ron Reagan states that he believes his father had Alzheimer's--or its' symptoms--as early as his first term. Reagan's older son Michael is now livid that Ron even suggests this, and stoops so low to say that Ron was an embarrassment to his father when he dropped out of college to become a ballet dancer.

That Alzheimer rumor was making the rounds long before Ron Jr. wrote his book. Supposedly in the oval office the President was more comfortable getting lost in stories about Hollywood and his heyday as an actor than talking about State matters.

I think Michael should cool it. What does it matter now? The people who despised Reagan will still despise him and the right wingers who loved him and his Reaganomics and "ketchup as a vegetable" and the "Russians are bombing" will go on loving him no matter the facts.

Sunday, January 16

Yes, ladies, I'm finally able to leave the property! Truly miracles still occur. After I got out yesterday and tried to chip away the ice on the driveway (which, BTW, is shaped like a snake with two curves and two hills on the way to the road, mostly in shadow) I'm made some progress, but today I finally broke down and asked my neighbor if he would come down and check on the ice and see if I could get the heck out of here. Well, he did and I did.

My one and only trip to civilization in seven days was to the Post Office to pick up the mail which had piled up this past week. I'll probably get a thank you note in the box on Tuesday since said box was stuffed and I do mean stuffed full. Only two bills that needed a check-which I wrote sitting in the car in the P.O. parking lot and mailed-but the rest took me about 30 minutes to open when I got home. Tomorrow I plan to go out and I don't much care where to either :)

Tuesday, January 11

it's been very cold as we're gearing up for a big winter storm. I have my niece this week and the kids were very good but stir crazy, so after my weekly yarn run, I took them to the indoor McD's play place for lunch and to burn off all that extra energy that middle-aged people would kill to have. Things were fine until my niece came out crying. Apparently some rat bastard kid in the play place told her she was too fat to go down the slide. Boy was I pissed. I got her to tell me which kid it was and I had words with the mom. The mom told her son to say sorry or he wouldn't go to the movies with his friends. then he cried, like most kids do when they're caught being bad, and she hugged him and said he could go to the movies anyway without saying sorry. That woman is going to wonder why her kid will turn out to be a nasty piece of work bully in the future and she'll be to thank for it.

oh and speaking of bullies, that westboro "church" just makes me sick. They've been beyond insane for a long time, but really? At least we know who the church members are so we can avoid them and perhaps openly mock them in public. I wonder how'd they like it if someone started picketing their events? Scratch that, they'd probably love it. media whores.

Sunday, January 2

I am not a big Larry King fan--I think his CNN talk show was very overrated, but Piers Morgan? Blech to the 6th degree. He's too egotistic to ask other people interesting questions. I hope his show tanks.